According to sideline reporter Mike Trudell, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to sit Bronny James, Dalton Knecht, and Maxwell Lewis in their Las Vegas Summer League finale against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday due to health concerns. The Lakers competed in the California Classic beforehand, which allowed them to play more summer league games than most teams in Las Vegas, even though they did not have any specific injuries that required recovery. Thus, they closed down some of their most well-known young players after deciding they had had enough.
For James, that ruling put an end to a turbulent summer league. As a Laker, Bronny James—son of NBA legend LeBron James—missed his first fifteen 3-point attempts and had a difficult time scoring in general. But in his final two games, he made up for it, scoring a total of 25 points and displaying some of the defensive potential that attracted teams to him as a prospect.
According to Lakers summer league coach Dane Johnson, “he had two pretty good games last two,” on Saturday. “I believe it will only benefit him as we move into the summer, allowing us to focus on various things with him. Simply the assurance that he can perform at this caliber. It will still require a significant amount of time and repetitions.
Even with a guaranteed NBA deal and a berth on the Lakers’ roster, James will probably now get ready to play a large portion of his rookie campaign in the G League. Despite having a strong finish to the summer league, his entire play was, to put it mildly, inconsistent. In order to generate his own shots, he needs to improve both his handle and jump shooting, both of which are still far from NBA caliber.
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